Bollywood has released thousands of movies in its nearly 100 years old history. Only a few of them have been able to make it into the cut-off list of masterpieces. One of them is the movie ‘Anand’ and that is why it should never be touched by anyone wishing to monetarily capitalise on its popularity.
Remake of Anand in the offing
According to a report by Hindustan Times, producers have geared up for one more remake. This time, they have decided to throw the legendary movie ‘Anand’ under the proverbial remake bus. Interestingly, Sameer Raj Sippy, the grandson of N C Sippy, the producer of the original Anand will be producing the movie with co-producer Vikram Khakkhar.
The report further informed that currently the script is being finalised and the hunt for a director is on. In a statement, the producer said, “Keeping in mind the sensibilities of the original film and the emotions attached, I felt the current generation needs to be retold the many stories that are so relevant today and especially when there is a great appetite for good content,”
People won’t welcome the remake
After the news was broadcasted to Twitterati by Taran Adarsh, people reacted negatively to the news. Most of them are of the opinion that the movie should be left untampered.
A user Sumit Garg opined that only Rajesh Khanna could play the character of Anand.
No way. Anand is a man show that is only Late Mr Rajesh Khanna ji. No one else can portray it. Should stop it now.
— SUMIT GARG (@heymsam) May 19, 2022
Another user Prasad Sampagni pointed out the documented failure of Bollywood in remaking masterpieces and urged them not to do it with Anand.
Nahin already Sholay Zanjeer and few other movies have taken a beating.. don't spoil the classic . This clearly shows that directors and writers are no more creative in Bollywood . Watch 4 movies and make one movie .
— Prasad Sampangi (@Prasad19721) May 19, 2022
A user @harshvaghani20 even predicted that with these products, Bollywood is going to die in a few years.
https://twitter.com/harshvaghani20/status/1527145321054150656
Various other users castigated the idea of a remake.
My god, Hindi Movie Industry will be destroyed for sure, just remakes and remakes.
— Abhis (@abhishGa) May 19, 2022
Lack of creative minds in a country of 130 crores? That's unbelievable. Since Bollywood has now got limited to a few families,from where can the audience expect any creative intelligence. People with creative intelligence are shown the gate by these industry of families now.
— It's him in me (@AshwinD75809659) May 19, 2022
Take Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan!! Lol 😆
— Akash Garg (@akashgarg123) May 19, 2022
Anand was cut above the rest
Audience’s anguish about the upcoming remake can be understood. Movie Anand is only one of its kind. Normal Bollywood movies of any era have few themes in common. A love story between two characters of opposite genders, one family against the love and finally a David vs Goliath battle at the end of which the villain had to accept the Hero’s supremacy.
The aforementioned theme was particularly popular when Anand was released. Most of the movies of the era focused on the sadistic Marxist interpretation of existential crisis in life. Someone had to be shown as a villain in order for the hero to overcome the problems created by him. Anand was a strict departure from it. It did not showcase anyone as a villain.
The story revolves around Anand, who is about to die within a period of six months. The remarkable aspect of the character played by Rajesh Khanna is that he is shown as a fighter but in a casual way. His fighting spirit towards the vagaries of life is depicted in his cheerful demeanour. Anand tries to keep everyone happy around him which stuns the character played by Amitabh Bachchan (Bhaskar).
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A new face of romanticism
Anand is able to befriend everyone whom he talks with. This is what strikes as significant to Amitabh Bachchan. He could never understand how a person on the verge of death could remain so happy. On one hand, there is Bhaskar who is constantly under stress for not being able to fully cure his patients, while on the other he watches Anand living his last few months in a nonchalant fashion.
Bhaskar’s admiration for Anand increases manyfold when Anand convinces him to confess his love for Renu. The camaraderie between two contrasting characters leaves a huge imprint on the audience. It reaches its zenith when Anand leaves for the heavenly abode without having last interaction with Bhaskar. Probably Bhaskar would lament it for his whole life.
Devised new philosophy around death
The movie was a masterpiece of drama and emotion. No romantic movie of any era has been able to connect with the audience’s heart in the way Anand did. The moviemakers presented the death in such a way that it ended up dignifying death at a time when industrial accidents and physical ailments were major causes of death.
Way before Steve Jobs came up with the concept of Death being his motivation, Anand became a pioneer of the concept. It is entirely true if the death did not loom large, Anand would not have been as cheerful as he was. Apparently, other characters were shown as such.
People won’t connect to it
However, remaking it is probably the worst thing to do in modern times. We do not possess the same neurology which existed 50 years ago. Nowadays even if Bhaskar would arrange any function for the departed soul of Anand, he would have to spend most of the time with people wishing to get him in a selfie with them.
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We are unfortunately not the same as humans were at the time of Anand. Big tech has changed the equation between humans. Most people would not be able to connect to the movie characters. Those who can will soon witness a decline in the impact that character would have on their psyche. Surely, people may flock in large numbers to watch the movie, but that will be because someone has sold them the idea of nostalgia, not because they connect to Anand the character.
Surely, most people in modern times would like to become Anand and in fact, they do, but they cannot. The tolerance and love have diminished to such a scale that people are marrying robots, just because they can manipulate them on their own whims and fancies. It makes no sense to reproduce Anand until civilization strikes back at technology.